After a move, Geordanes market gets a fresh start in Irvington

Sep. 11, 2012

Danielle Diaz poses at her shop, Geordanes Neighborhood Market. The establishment serves as an ad-hoc supermarket and deli where you can come in for a sandwich or pick up dinner. / Joe Larese/The Journal News

A few weeks ago, Geordanes Neighborhood Market in Irvington moved four doors down from its 25-year-old home on Main Street. It seems a small change, but for owner Danielle Diaz it means so much more: a new beginning and a chance for her to start fresh and design the store from scratch.

“With this new store,” says Diaz, “I’ve been able to define the space and place things where I think they should go.”

So yes: the grab-and-go meals are still there. Prepared foods are still on display. The in-house butcher still cuts locally raised, grass-fed beef to order. Organic produce is up front. And, should you need anything from a can of beans to a roll of paper towels, you can still get that, too. It’ll just be a lot easier to find.

But two new additions? A chopped salad bar and a juice bar, where you can combine your own ingredients, or try one of their combinations ($6.50 for a large). Try the Green Detox — a mix of apple, romaine lettuce and lemon — or go for the Neil: a kale, cucumber, celery, ginger and garlic elixir named after the mechanic up the street.

There are tons of takeout options to cover all three meals, including Geordanes’ popular breaded chicken cutlets ($8.99 a pound), but if you feel like staying put for lunch, order the Portobello sandwich (robust mushrooms topped with provolone, fresh spinach and roasted red peppers, $6), and take it to one of two small cafe tables on the sidewalk.

Or, stop by on your commute home to pick up dinner. The free-range roasted chicken ($14.95) goes perfectly with a side of the garlic potatoes ($5.99 per pound).

Longtime customers will feel right at home. The cash register is still on the left, but the juice and coffee bar, the deli counter and the salad bar are on the right.

The shelves in back are more organized and have a end-cap filled with takeout sandwiches and salads. And toward the back, there is a row of refrigerator and freezer units.

There are some things that Diaz hasn’t changed, including the organic produce and locally raised beef; two sides are delivered every two weeks from a farm upstate, and a butcher is in house seven days a week. “We have the best meat,” Diaz says. “Just so pure and delicious.”

What else hasn’t changed? Diaz’ great appreciation for her customers: “After 25 years of success, I knew I didn’t want to leave Irvington,” Diaz says. “I love the area and I love the people.”